72 



The above illustration shows the wrong and the right way of 

 setting a tree. The horizontal line represents the ground surface. 

 On the left hand side is an illustration of a tree badly planted, after 

 the fashion beginners generally favour. A deep narrow hole is sunk 

 ioto the ground, the tree is let down with its roots twisted anyhow, 

 and covered with soil, or worst of all, soil with stable manure poured 

 over them. If the ground is at all heavy the roots will with difficulty 

 penetrate through the wall of such a hole, the earth packed around the 

 bark will prevent the butt of the tree expanding; the bark will lose its 

 elasticity and will set tight around the tree, which will either die of 

 collar rot or will always be stunted and live a miserable life. The figure 

 on the right shows another extreme ; it represents a shallow hole with 

 the roots simply resting two or three inches below the surface. Such 

 a tree will be easily blown down by wind storms ; its roots will suffer 

 severely from the heat of the sun, or will run the risk of being 

 desiccated during the dry summer. Such shallow planting is only 

 to be recommended on damp, peaty ground, where the water still 

 lies within two feet of the surface, and where drainage is somewhat 

 difficult to secure. Between these two extremes lies the right way 

 of setting a tree. 



How TO MANURE WHEN PLANTING. 



If the trees are planted late in the season, when dry weather 

 sets in, it is advisable to pour a bucketful of water around the stem 

 to settle the earth well on the roots. Mulch the ground about the 

 newly planted trees with a light coating of stable manure or of straw. 



Fertilisers are sometimes used at the time of planting for 

 giving a good start to the trees, but avoid putting farmyard 

 manure under the roots of the plant, as it would in many cases 

 attract insects and favour the growth of parasitic moulds that 

 would be injurious to the tree. Of chemical fertilisers a couple of 

 handfuls of phosphates and potash manures mixed will in many 

 cases prove of great value, well worked with the earth round the 

 roots. Whenever farmyard manure is used, it should be in the 

 form of a mulching on the top of the soil' as its beneficial effect 

 will then be twofold ; the plant food it contains will be washed 

 from the surface down to where the roots are established by the 

 winter rains, and it will act as a screen which will be of 

 considerable benefit to the plant by preventing the evaporation 

 from the soil, and by smothering any weeds that might happen to 

 grow round the trees. When the planting is done on freshly-cleared 

 ground, sour and heavy lime is an excellent preparation. The places 

 where the trees are going having been marked, 61b. to 71b. of lime 

 are spread around the stakes ; the holes are subsequently dug and 

 the trees put in. This will correct the sourness and the stiffness of 

 the soil and induce a healthy growth. Some open up the tree-hole 

 some time before planting, but if the ground is at all stiff and 

 heavy, the liming as described above is preferable. Unless this 

 dressing is applied it often happens that the sides and bottom of the 



